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CNN
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The Federal Aviation Administration ordered a ground stop on flights to Philadelphia International Airport and suspended flights to New York’s LaGuardia Airport as smoke from wildfires in Canada continues to spread over the northeastern United States.
A so-called ground stop requires a plane destined for Philadelphia to remain on the ground at the departure airport. The lifting is scheduled for 9:15 a.m. ET, but the FAA said it probably won’t be extended.
A similar ground stop to LaGuardia Airport was lifted at 7:45 a.m. ET and downgraded to a “ground delay.” Flights to Newark Liberty International Airport have also been delayed. Visibility in Newark at 9:00 a.m. Eastern time was reported as 3 miles. The FAA’s ground delay program is currently scheduled to end at 9:59 AM ET.
The FAA advises that flights across the United States experience an average delay of 34 minutes, with a maximum delay of 1 hour and 47 minutes.
Delays to and from LaGuardia Airport are expected until late Thursday night. The FAA’s operational plan Thursday showed smoke could affect travel from New York to Charlotte throughout the day.
“The FAA will probably need to take steps to safely manage the flow of traffic to New York City, Washington D.C., Philadelphia and Charlotte due to reduced visibility from wildfire smoke,” the FAA said in a statement. said in
On Wednesday, the FAA issued a similar ground stop order for LaGuardia Airport.
As of 8 a.m. ET, 678 flights to, from, and within the United States were delayed, with 56 canceled, according to tracking service FlightAware. New York’s JFK Airport and Newark Liberty Airport in Newark, New Jersey were the most affected by the fog. Two flights were canceled and 28 were delayed at JFK, representing 4% of the schedule. Newark had three flights canceled and 17 delayed, representing 2% of all flights. LaGuardia Airport was not among FlightAware’s most impacted airports. Wednesday ended with 5,600 U.S. flight delays and 162 cancellations, not all of which were due to smoke.
U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg tweeted Wednesday, “Smoke from wildfires in Canada is affecting visibility in our airspace, leading to delays. The FAA is well prepared to alter operations if necessary.”
– CNN’s Chris Isidore and Gregory Wallace contributed to this report
This story has been updated from the original.
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